Haunted Memory

Disclaimer: I have no rights over The final Fantasy Characters. This story is based off joint effort of Mix mastah Mike and Sailor Poison. Any reviews is very much appreciated.

“ Haunted Memory “
By Mix Master Mike and Sailor Poison





~Ch 4: Insanity Confronts Evil


Out of the darkness was a noise almost like a cracking noise in the lab, near the desk, the floor started to crack as the block was sent sky high by a fist, a black gloved hand reached out pushing one way, while the other reached up pushing the other way, pushing more blocks out of the way, then a head slowly emerged, those deadly precise aquamarine eyes gazing around the place with that same insane glee, Sephiroth finally put his hands on-top of the floor, or what was left and pushed himself up out of the ground, being followed by a rather large man, who was covered in white fur, and had hair and eyes like him, he was heavily built, and made Sephiroth look like a little kid, from where he was standing now. Sephiroth stepped forward pulling one of the four horsemen's axe from his back looking into the darkness he sensed something the axe glowed black, with a radiant unholy energy, making Sephiroth's muscles bulge out and he seemed slightly bigger from holding it, Toshihro peered through the darkness looking around.

Blue-violet Mako eyes snap open, watching the spruce of the noise. Waiting as it emerges from the ground. Hiss of anger from the pale lips, a hand on a sword that is another Buster sword. Zack moves from the crouching position to stand. Head bussing almost as he thinks the face is familiar. Is it?

Zack walks along the shadows of the lab, which was used as a library as well. He breathed softly as he walks eyes on the two. His vision was mostly obscured by the man of white hair and green Mako eyes, the skinny one. He steps forward so the dim light shows his face. He is 5'10 with same build. his shirt has dust and dirt with holes from where he was shot. Blood was left littered on the left shoulder of his shirt from where he was shot in the head. His face had lost all vivid emotions or so it seemed as those eyes of his still had that glimmer to them. His hand held his old busted up sword, as the tip scratched eerily across the floor, Zack gave that sick diseased look at his former leader.

Sephiroth took a step forward into the light; about twelve feet away from Zack, looking forward at him, that delightful smirk appearing on his face as the words left his lips smoothly, "Zack...."

"Sephiroth... " remarked the dark swordsman who rose from the grave as well, his tone a mix of growl and a purr, almost erotic. Zack brings his buster sword up inoth oth fluid slashes in the air as he glances at the taller man briefly. He believed bigger the man, the harder they fall. . .still his thoughts were stable as he watched Sephiroth his insanity slowly leaking away. His cheeks twitch on his face as he smirks, emotion returning slowly. He blamed everyone of the world for what he went through and Sephiroth was no exception; he was one of the main causes of what had happened that day, he was the cause in Zack's mind.

All that hatred on directed his eyes narrow as some anger crosses his face now. Zack's face was now a flush red, his blood boiled as he slowly shook his head.

Sephiroth simply chuckles as Toshihro, putting a hand on his shoulder looking down at him nodding. Sephiroth shook his head and then did that maniacal laugh of his, "Oh well, it doesn't matter how your alive, you'll soon die anyway you pathetic excuse for a carcass." Sephiroth slashed at his midsection with that great axe.

"I waited a long time, Seph." Zack used that old nickname he used when they were friends. That seemed like another lifetime. It was a Haunting Memory to him and to others who lived in the places he ravaged, and plagued during his insanity. It was a painful lifetime ago for Zack, he remarked curtly to his former leader, "I shall cut your head off and spit down your throat, like I shall do everyone else who crosses my path." Zack takes a few steps forward now a wide smile on his handsome face, the smile itself was more diseased than the sickest of blades he looked like a crack attic almost with that smile on his face. Zack cocked his head sideways now looking at him his earring on his left ear a small glimmer in the dim light as his cheek twitches. "You shall be the one left to be dissected this time!"

Sephiroth chuckled madly, as that insane look was in his eyes again, his movements quick, lean, and mean, the swinging of his axe almost cut through the very air almost as it went stretched at Zack's midsection. It was odd how Sephiroth did this one handed was a mystery, Toshihro stood back ready to fight at any time.

Zack swings his buster sword to block, takes a step back to give room incase the block didn't work, he wasn't an idiot. That axe seems to be, weird he himself didn't trust it at all; or Sephiroth for that matter. Whether his sword holds up or not the skilled dark swordsman suddenly leaps in the air and sends a kick at Sephiroth's head with his left foot.

Sephiroth hit the buster sword the sword held up for now, a slight cracking was heard on it, Sephiroth looked over at Zack was he went kicking at his face, Zack caught his chin, but Sephiroth was ready, he pulled out a dagger from his right hand he lowered the axe, as he did this falling back with Zack almost as he turned with momentum, trying to stab Zack in the back with the dagger. Zack grunts as the blade hits his back. He shook his head some then stood up slashing wildly at Sephiroth's chest area with the broken buster sword despite the intense pain he was in. The pain became almost secondary to him. Getting Sephiroth was vital to all he knows, yet, fighting Sephiroth and not doing so well was... appealing. Yes, the leader should never be easy to strike down. Was he a leader to Zack? He didn't know. Nor did he care at the moment all he seen was the moment to strike and kill, and bring his former leader down.

Sephiroth's chest was sliced open he let the delicious black blood slide out looking down at it, looking down at his temple of flesh then to Zack, the anger easily seen on his face as he slashed downward at his head with the large axe, even though it didn't look like it, the axe could split a hair in pieces, Toshihro grinned as a slight chuckle escaped his lips, he knew what was coming soon. Zack staggers back as he blocks the swing with his buster sword. He remembered the crack sound earlier and figured his sword won't take many blows now. Maybe it was this blow that broke it? Or maybe it would be the next one he didn't know for sure. He hard another crack as the Buster sword was split into almost, one more shot and it was gone for good. It would become an artifact of the past much like the other things he possessed now covered in dust, or broken and left behind. Zack was confused so he swung at Sephiroth's thighs, trying to engrave a deep gash into them.

He slices open the left one then Sephiroth jumps up going to stomp on the buster sword, causing Zack's grip to slip as he was left open for a large blow to be delivered. Sephiroth took this time to get to the part where he latched his axe back to his back in its custom made sheath and grab Masamune that old blade of legend and lore trying to deliver a fatal blow to his former lieutenant's shoulder which he used to swing a sword, "Give up, Death is upon you, fluttering in greatness, and darkness, Puppet."

He tries to bite back the sound of pain as his shoulder it sliced into, making him drop the buster sword as if it had done something wrong. It was caste aside sticking in the ground barely, a small bit of light flowing through the window down onto it. He looks Seph in the eye, his will to live raging as his self preservation thoughts seemed to kick in, as he spoke rather rudely and crude to his former leader his eyes blazing, "I refuse to give up! I will never give up to death!" The Dark swordsman tries to kick Sephiroth in the groin for ever suggestion that, "I am not a quitter, I will find my way to get revenge, even if I have to drag you back into the depths of hell with me Sephiroth."

He swerved to the side as he fell, when Zack went for him Zack's kick hitting his knee, causing him to do a back flip, and land into the bookcase. The bookcase almost fell over on him as he stumbled about, looking over at Zack now laughing as he snapped his fingers. Toshihro jumped in, trying to grab "Spike" by the hair and hurl him against the far wall, an inhuman growl coming from the man.

Zack is grabbed and hurled into a far wall because he forgot the other man was there. He hard a crack as he hit the stone, he muttered to himself as his vision blurred out of proportion then focused again quickly. Stars danced before his eyes as blood from his shoulder was left shattering the virginity of the now white walls. They had been changed after remodeling at least the ones you would actually see. A pain in his back and shoulder emerged, lighting up his face with a red anger. He reached back touching the wound his hand shaking as he quivered softly in the darkness those eyes glowing intensely. The pain lit his very body up and was very hard to ignore. He turns to his back so he can see any attacks coming though at most he could do is stand defeated almost because of the blow to his head.

Toshihro moved in almost a blur, he was fast for a big man, he went to pound Zack's insides through the wall if possible, or at least knock the breath out of him, "Your nothing, but a bug on the bottom of my shoe."

Zack rolled out of the barely as he tried to hit the bigger man in the spot behind the knee, a few blows hitting his chest, as he gasped for air from a final blow the large main delivered to him, Toshihro's leg buckled as he spoke with a lack of sanity, "After Sephy poo softened me up too." Zack giggled a bit at what he said a smile almost appearing on his face as he seen the man man lying down in front of him almost.

Toshihro smirked then pulled that black obsidian blade from his side with his right hand slicing through a bookcase, and part of the wall slicing at Zack, while Sephiroth stood there blinking, and slowly starting to float in the air towards Zack, that maniacal laughter emerging again.

Zack with quick instinct hugged the floor trying to escape the slice then not certain if he should go for his busted and broken sword or not. He doubts he can get the sword though, not with the large man healthy; apparently he figured he should have made his move earlier. Zack looked odd now as he blamed himself putting himself in denial his eyes showing the frustration he felt. He never called the fight unfair though. He just wanted to live and maybe he might lose that again. Was he alive in the first place?

"Almost got you, Seph... except your trained monkey got me first." He laughs as he knows Sephiroth is coming to finish him off, he looked at them dizzily wiping the blood from his mouth, "Going to finish your work, huh Boss?" Zack chuckled then replied once more, "At least I die at the hands of some aside a damn grunt."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and in almost a flash he was behind Zack grabbing at his neck to lift him up off the ground, he trembled and shook with anger as his voice was slightly off key, "You......W..w..will....die.." The anger was like a torch it could have melted the strongest of steel in the room.

"You always told me never let your anger get the better of you, dear leader." Zack hung by his throat as he remembered when he was by himself in a town they had just conquered. Someone hit him in the shoulder with poisonous dagger. They ganged up on him as he fought them with the poison running through his system. He did well enough and killed a few before he was starting to suffer noticeably. He refused to give up despite this, Sephiroth showed up and fought them off. His body shook from the effects of the poison, now his body shakes but not of fear. He laughs softly at the memory.

The would be "God" chuckled slightly as he narrowed his eyebrows. He felt the flow of Jenova through his body tensing his muscles as he went to slam Zack through a damned bookcase and into the hole in the ground, "I'll see you in hell!"

Zack slams into the wall through the bookcase into the hole in the ground halfway then goes limp. No moving aside the rise and fall of his chest some of the dried blood on one shoulder flakes off as fresh blood from the other should wells up. He was almost like a human voodoo doll taking blow after blow from the men. He probably hasn't looked this bad since Sephiroth last kicked his ass or when he got shoot up by the grunt. Maybe one of the battles he jumped amidst a thick group to save some kid who was fresh from training and took a lot of blows.

A hand went across his chest covering up his dripping blood as he licked his lips, almost in a trance watching Zack, he turned to Toshihro, nodding for them to move out. Sephiroth walked down the stairs Toshihro following close behind. They had a long journey ahead of them, his thoughts were clouded by the visions of hell; those visions deeply warped his insane mind into further deterioration far from any kind of medical and mental help. His mind was now twisted, the death, and flesh of the place even twisted the most insane of minds as if they were a child's. He seen the corpses of his enemies wherever he went littering the streets like paper bags and garbage.

Toshihro didn't mind leaving Zack for dead, he remembered Zack barely, hell had warped his percepttoo,too, but not as bad as Sephiroth, who was a fruit loop in the first place. They climbed the creaky stairs Sephiroth smashed through the bookcase literally walking through his own hole exiting the mansion as he staring off silently into the distance as if in a trance. The two dark men were almost retracing their steps so many years ago when Sephiroth burned the damned town to the ground; they exited by Tifa's old house.

Tifa was cleaning up, getting ready for her next class. She has a room added to her place just for the classes. She sometimes would look at the mansion even though she never went inside for; something about the place left her uneasy. It felt haunted by something. No one went into the mansion anymore. People who did go inside well they never came out again or so rumor went. She found that silly but went along with it for kept the kids out of a mansion that they may collapse anyhow. She felt a shiver run down her spine suddenly; almost by instinct she knew something was wrong she just couldn't put her finger on it. She looks out the window to som something? No it can't be! He is alive with some large man? Tifa stays inside; the shock of seeing Sephiroth alive was too much. Plus, she wasn't about to attack him alone. She learned her lessons years ago and she almost died because of it. She knows she has to tell the others. Still, while not being plain view, tries to watch them walk off. Looks like they goingoing to the reactor?

Meanwhile, Zack's Jenova cells were working inside him, healing the damage. He wasn't nearly as good as Sephiroth but his shoulder's bleeding slows down to a trickle. A trickle of blood, was left it was almost like a slow leak in a faucet. Zack's back was also trying to fix itself. He still lays there, out cold for now. Maybe soon he should rise again but good fortune was not on his side, he didn't know what he would have to prepare to face.

Indeed they were going to the reactor, Everyone who walked outside was hacked into oblivion and darkness, Sephiroth cut one man from leg to face, while Toshihro bashed in another's skull, death was littered by their presence as they continued their journey, somehow secrets were still in the reactor, that's where they needed to be, soon they'd have to trek through snow, Sephiroth continued, his anger, pushing him further and farther.

Her anger at this rising, yet she dare not show herself. She hated being a coward for this. She wanted to fight and protect the town even though she knows she isn't that good and someone needs to live to tell what happen. The only words she spoke was, "Damn you, Sephiroth!"